Licht aus Finsternis
by Eilan
Summary: Voldemort is defeated and everything should be well in the Wizarding World. But it isn't, as Slytherin House finds itself under close watch and striped of all its privileges. (het and femmeslash)
1. Prologue & Chapter One

**Title:** Licht aus Finsternis   
**Author name:** Eilan  
**Author email:** Eilan84@gmx.de  
**Category:** Drama  
**Sub Category:** Romance  
**Rating:** R  
**Spoilers:** SS/PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, FB, QTTA  
**Summary:** Voldemort is defeated and everything should be well in the Wizarding World. But it isn't, as Slytherin House finds itself under close watch and striped of all its privileges. Can the Slytherins change this and what role will Severus Snape, Narcissa Malfoy, Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson play?  
**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.   
**Author notes:** My answer to the Slytherin Fuh-Q-Fest. I won't tell you which challenges I answered, as it would spoil parts of the story.   
This will, in later chapters, be het (Severus/Narcissa) and femme-slash (Blaise/Pansy), so don't say I didn't warn you.  
Thanks to Siria Black and manubai for beta-ing and keeping me on track.  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Licht aus Finsternis   
Part One:   
The Downfall of Slytherin House   
**by Eilan

**_Prologue:   
Darkness Falls_**

Severus Snape was angry. Not just a little, but very. He had just received an owl from the current Minister of Magic, Mark Jule, containing 'serious information on the status of Slytherin House in the year 1998/99'. 

Basically, it said that Slytherin House was stripped of all its privileges because _"it is a well-known fact that most of Voldemort's followers were members of Slytherin House"_ and _"the Ministry of Magic doesn't want to take risks after the fall of the Dark Lord"_, all of course just "_for the safety of the students"_. If it wasn't so sad he would've laughed.

Being stripped of all privileges in this case meant that Slytherin House wouldn't be able to provide the Head Boy or Girl, and wasn't allowed to have Prefects. No member of Severus's House would be allowed to go to Hogsmeade during the weekends; Slytherin students were also not allowed to go home over the holidays before it had been confirmed that their parents had had nothing to do with Voldemort.. 

The list went on. 

Slytherin students had become second-class humans.

These measures had never been necessary in the past, and weren't now because Voldemort waited until the students' eighteenth birthday before initiating them, with the exception of Draco Malfoy, the son of a prominent Death Eater, there was no student at Hogwarts who had been a Death Eater. 

So yes, Severus Snape's mood was very nearly beyond angry. 

Term was about to start in three days, so there wasn't much left for him to do regarding the letter. The laws laid out in it had already been passed, and were soon to be put into action It seemed that everything had been done without the knowledge of the current Head of Slytherin House. However, one signature was missing on the letter. Albus Dumbledore's.

After reading the letter for the fourth time, Severus decided to speak to the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He couldn't let the Ministry do this. It was bad enough that after the final downfall of Voldemort, they had dared investigate every former Slytherin still alive, whether they were Death Eaters or not. But now they were taking their stupid prejudices out on the students. He would not let that happen. 

*

Blaise Zabini quietly closed the door behind her. She didn't want to wake her parents this early in the morning, despite the fact that she had told them she would do so, and say goodbye before she left. It was just that she couldn't stand goodbyes and preferred to leave for Hogwarts without making a scene. Her parents would give her hell for that in their next letter, but she was sure that when she returned home for Christmas, her parents would be too happy to see her to complain about her leaving without telling them.

Binding her shoulder-length dark blond hair into a tight bun, she thought about returning to Hogwarts. It had never been easy for Blaise. Sorted into Slytherin, she had never gotten along with the other students in her House and year. Sure, Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode and Queenie Greengrass had all been able to act very nice if they wanted, but most of the time they hadn't wanted to be nice. They had just tolerated her.

Blaise was different from the other girls of her year, and she knew it. She was the daughter of two rather well known and respected wizards, but she didn't have the sense of heritage the others had. Neither did she have any intention of playing around with Dark Arts. She was overall a good student, excelling in nothing but Potions, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, in all of which she was over-shadowed by the Gryffindor Hermione Granger and her classmate Draco Malfoy.

Draco Malfoy. The name alone managed to send shivers down her spine. Draco wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts this year. He was in St. Mungo's, being treated for the after-effects of various curses, the Imperius and Cruciatus curse among them. Unfortunately, it was still not confirmed who had cursed him, nor for which side he had fought in the Great War last year. 

It would be a quiet year. Millicent and Queenie had been taken out of Hogwarts by their parents the previous year, and had been sent to Durmstrang. During the war, Millicent had somehow found a way to fight for Voldemort alongside her parents, dying in the process. How she had managed that, given the close observation they had all been under last year to ensure that none of the students joined Voldemort, Blaise didn't know. Especially since Millicent had been the one who had repeatedly complained about the fact that she would have to wait for her eighteenth birthday before Voldemort would even consider making her a Death Eater.

This left only Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle in her year. They had not fought on either side of the war, neither wanting to help Dumbledore, nor being able to help the other side, which their parents were on, as Blaise had learned her fifth year. This made returning to Hogwarts a bit easier. Not much, though.

Just before the holidays, her Head of House, Professor Snape, had confidently told Blaise that it could be that she would be made Head Girl that year, seeing that she had no ties with Death Eaters. She had waited for the confirmation the entire summer and when it didn't arrive she had tried not to show her disappointment. After all, Voldemort had just been defeated; one couldn't expect a Slytherin to be made Head Girl right after that. Still, Blaise hoped that now that the other Houses had no reasons to despise the Slytherins any more, they would at least treat them better than before.

The bus that would take her to Muggle London, from where she would catch the Hogwarts Express arrived, and still lost deep in thought, Blaise boarded it. 

**_Chapter One:   
This is Not Happening_**

Upon arriving in front of the Hogwarts train at King's Cross Station, Blaise immediately went to the Prefects' compartment that she had used for the past two years. However, she was stopped just before she entered the train by a low voice calling her name. "Miss Zabini."

Spinning around to see who had called her, she recognised the speaker as her Head of House. She couldn't help but to notice that he looked different. It was a subtle change; his hair was not as greasy as it used to be, but she couldn't exactly say he had changed for the better. He looked tired and weary.

Without any greeting, he indicated for her to follow him and hesitantly, she did. He led her to a compartment at the very back of the train and mentioned for her to get in. Without any further notice, he left as abruptly as he had appeared, obviously looking for another student. 

Inside the compartment sat a boy she knew, Kenneth Longcom, a Slytherin Prefect who was now in his sixth year. He had short brown hair and was much taller than Blaise. 

"Hello, Kenneth," Blaise greeted him and sat down on the opposite bench. Kenneth seemed to be just as confused as her about being here instead of in the Prefects' compartment. 

"Hey, Blaise."

"Have you any idea why we aren't with the other Prefects?"

"No. Snape didn't say anything. Maybe it's about who will be the other seventh year Prefect now that Malfoy won't be here this year or something."

At that moment, Professor Snape stepped into the compartment, bringing with him the sixth year Prefect Elisabeth Thatcher. So it was indeed something like a Slytherin Prefect meeting. Just where were the fifth years?

Snape closed the door and seated himself next to Blaise, while Elisabeth took the seat next to Kenneth.

"Professor, aren't the fifth years coming?" Kenneth asked. "I mean, all the other Prefects are here…" Kenneth trailed off, seeing the harsh expression on Snape's face. 

"No, Mister Longcom."

The train had begun moving now, and King's Cross Station was slowly fading out of sight. Blaise had always found this view fascinating, as represented the transition she underwent each year, between her home and Hogwarts. 

"Why, Professor Snape?" she asked quietly, still absorbed by the view outside the window.

"Because, Miss Zabini, there are no fifth year Prefects this year." 

Blaise started and stared at him. He had to be kidding, right? Why? Were there no fifth year students? As far as she knew there had to be at least eight fifth year Slytherins. And at least two of them should have enough qualifications to become Prefects.

But before she, Kenneth, or Elisabeth could ask anything, he motioned for them to stay silent Knowing their Head of House and his temper, they shut their mouths.

"There are no Prefects in fifth year, just as there are no Prefects in sixth and seventh year. Over the summer holidays, the three of you lost your places as prefects. You Miss Zabini, were also not allowed to be made Head Girl. This is not because you were unable to fulfil your duties as prefects, but because the Ministry of Magic and the School Governors decided that due to the ties to Voldemort many Slytherin students have, there will be no Slytherin Prefects this year. Slytherin students will neither be allowed to visit Hogsmeade, nor will any but a few be allowed to return home for Christmas Holiday. Slytherin students will also be under the teachers' close watch. No new students will be Sorted into Slytherin. Further, you will not be allowed to play Quidditch nor win points for the House Cup."

Silence filled the compartment when Snape finished. Blaise knew that Kenneth's older sister had just been sentenced to ten years imprisonment in Azkaban for being a Death Eater. Vincent and Gregory's parents had all been arrested, and she knew of many more trials against relatives of Slytherin students. But still she couldn't bring herself to understand what Snape had said so emotionlessly. 

Slytherin House had just lost its status among the other Houses.

"I will now Apparate to Hogsmeade. You can decide what you want to do with this information yourself. Whether you want to tell the other students yourself, or whether you want to wait until the Headmaster announces it at the Sorting Ceremony is your choice. I will wait for you in Hogsmeade and take you to Hogwarts myself."

And with that, he left them.

"What are we to do?" Elisabeth spoke first. Her face had fallen and she looked shocked. Elisabeth had never been overly friendly to Blaise, like a typical Slytherin, but she was protective of her year, just like every Prefect should be.

"I have no idea," Blaise replied honestly. "Will we tell them?"

"It wouldn't be easy to tell them. We've practically lost everything as a House, haven't we?" Kenneth looked very concerned, just like Blaise felt. 

"Yes, we have," she whispered.

"I think we should tell them; at least the younger ones. They're all eager to win the House Cup for Slytherin this year and so on. Now they won't even have the chance." 

"Kenneth, how are we going to tell only the younger ones? I think we should let Dumbledore and Snape do it. They can probably break it to them better. I mean, I don't have a death wish. We can help everyone afterwards. We might have just lost our places as Prefects, but there's no one telling us we can't still be there for our House," Blaise replied. 

"I agree with Blaise," Elisabeth added, "Dumbledore and Snape probably have all the details and can explain why this happened much better than we can."

"Okay," Kenneth agreed. "We should stay here for the rest of the train ride. I really don't want to run into our house-mates now. Or into members of the other Houses for that matter."

*

Severus swore quietly when he arrived in Hogsmeade. That had been harder than he had expected. He was proud to be a Slytherin, but now Ministry Officials and the School Governors wanted to tell him that it was something to be ashamed of. 

He had been ashamed of it most of his life, but now that Voldemort was defeated he saw no reason for it. Why hadn't they made these changes when Voldemort had risen to power instead of when he was defeated and most Slytherins students wouldn't return to Hogwarts? 

It would be quite a few hours before the train arrived at Hogsmeade. He needed to meet Dumbledore beforehand, and so he began walking back to the castle. He would have to take broomsticks on the way back, so that he could talk to the remaining three Prefects before the Sorting. Of course, they were not officially prefects anymore, but they had been picked because of certain character traits. Whether they were called prefects or not didn't change the fact that the other students listened to them. 

Dumbledore's office was as warm and welcoming as always, and Albus smiled when he entered the room. 

"Severus, good to see you. Please sit down."

Snape took the offered seat and reluctantly began to speak.

"I told the former Prefects Longcom, Thatcher, and Zabini of the changes Slytherin House has undergone over the holidays. I also told them they were free to inform their fellow students themselves or leave it to us. They have probably decided on a course of action by now. I think they took the news as well as was possible." 

"Which probably isn't saying very much."

"No, I suppose not."

"Are they going to tell their house-mates?"

Severus thought for a moment. "I don't think so. They wouldn't risk being ridiculed by the other Houses before the Sorting." 

"Which will probably happen anyway. Let's hope the other Houses have enough sense not bother them too much." 

Severus sighed. "This will only widen the gap between the Houses; especially between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

"I'm afraid it will. However, I believe Minerva will do her best to help in every way she can."

"It won't be enough, Albus. They're children, they won't know how to deal with it."

Dumbledore smiled weakly. "Yes, they are children. But they are intelligent children. Let's hope they find a way."

"Yes. Let's hope so. "

*

The atmosphere in the compartment was depressing. They had talked occasionally, but for the most part, there was silence, and every one of them was lost deep in thought. 

Blaise was worried about what would happen next. Sure, she only had one year left at Hogwarts and there were only three other Slytherin students left in her year, so it would probably be easier for her to cope than for everyone else. Sadly, she had never been on very friendly terms with the Slytherins in her year, but since so few were left she would probably survive the next year. 

Still, she was worried. She spent enough energy on getting along with Pansy, Gregory and Vincent; she didn't need any further pressure on her because her House was stripped of all its privileges. It would take House rivalry to a whole new level. Kenneth broke the silence: "The Gryffindors will be thrilled." He had obviously been thinking the same thing as she was. 

"They won't just be thrilled. They'll find it fucking hilarious," Elisabeth mumbled 

"Damn those Gryffindors," Blaise replied. The other Houses might consider her part of the 'better' half of Slytherin, but when it came to Gryffindors she shared the sentiments of every 'true' Slytherin. 

"Just imagine what Potter and his friends will say when they hear about this. And that Malfoy won't be here this term either." Kenneth's family was distantly related to the Malfoys, and even though they hadn't exactly been friends, they had often been seen chatting with each other. 

"They'll probably be smiling from now till Christmas," Blaise sighed. She didn't dislike Harry Potter per se, but she had a very strong distaste for Hermione Granger, just like Kenneth seemed to hate Potter, and Elisabeth Ron. Blaise's not so friendly feelings towards Hermione were mostly the result of her extreme touchiness when it came to her grades, even though she was not one of the best students. Taking her three best subjects with the only students who could easily overshadow her didn't argue for tolerance. That, combined with her dislike for Gryffindors in general, had made her a fierce rival, especially in Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. In Potions she had never stood a chance against both Malfoy and Granger. 

"We should get changed. We'll be there soon," Elisabeth reminded them. When Blaise looked out of the window, she could nearly make out Hogsmeade.

An unusual sight greeted the students when they got out of the train. Professor Snape stood next to Hagrid, with four brooms at his side.

Everyone, apart from Kenneth, Elisabeth, and Blaise, who had of course expected Snape, stared at him in shock. But even the Prefects hadn't expected him to bring brooms.

Giving them a sympathetic glance, Hagrid took charge of the first years and told the other students to take their places in the carriages while Snape motioned for the three to come with him.

"You don't seem to have told them," he remarked matter-of-factly when the other students were out of earshot. 

"No, sir. We have decided that it would be better if they were informed by a member of the staff," Blaise replied formally.

"You're probably right, Miss Zabini. Still, you three are required to meet with the Headmaster before the Sorting." 

They just nodded and took the brooms he offered them. Unlike Kenneth and Elisabeth, who were both on the reserve Quidditch team - or rather had been, as it no longer existed - Blaise was terrible at flying. She liked watching Quidditch, but didn't feel comfortable on a broom, especially at high speeds.

Soon enough, they reached Hogwarts. Blaise got off her broom, shacking slightly. Not for all the money in the world would she ever fly this fast again. Snape was obviously a good flyer; he didn't mind going as fast as the school brooms allowed. 

Headmaster Dumbledore, who had been waiting, greeted them as soon as they arrived. 

The group moved into a room Blaise had never seen before. Situated next to the Great Hall, it was small but light, with green windows through which filtered the last sunlight of the day. 

"Do your fellow students know what awaits them here?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, sir. We believe it would be best if they were told the news by someone who knew the exact details," Kenneth answered.

"And has more authority," Elisabeth added. She valued authority; considering that her parents were - as she put it - 'sometimes too nice to me than is good for them', although they too had been Slytherins.

"And won't get into a life-threatening situation when telling them, am I right?" Dumbledore commented, his eyes twinkling. Slytherins were not known for being kind to bearers of bad news.

"That too," Blaise admitted. "Headmaster, Professor, why... why have they done this? It's not like we're all Death Eaters in disguise. Or do they really think that?"

For a moment, the Headmaster looked far from his usual calm and reassuring self; his face clouded over by distant worries. But he quickly composed himself. However, Professor Snape just continued to stare off into space, stone-faced.

"It's not that easy, Miss Zabini. Hogwarts and the School Governors are under a lot of pressure. Please note, however, that none of the teachers are happy with these changes, they all support the Slytherins. If there are any difficulties, the faculty will be eager to help you." After a short pause he added, "I believe the Sorting is about to start. Let us join them."

_To be continued..._


	2. Chapter two

**Author notes:** Some people asked about the title. It's from Goethe's 'Faust', where in the original text it says: "Ich bin ein Teil des Teils, der anfangs alles war / Ein Teil der Finsternis, die sich das Licht gebar / Das stolze Licht, das nun der Mutter Nacht / Den alten Rang, den Raum ihr streitig macht." (Mephistopheles, 1349-1352)  
  
Translation (thanks, manubai): "Part of the part am I, which at the first was all /   
A part of darkness, which gave birth to light / Proud light, who now his mother would enthrall / Contesting space and ancient rank with night."  
  
As always, thanks to my betas Siria Black and manubai.  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**_Chapter Two:   
Fallen Angel_**

The Great Hall was an impressive sight; even Severus Snape admitted it. He had been stunned the first time he saw it. Now, however, he had no inclination to pay any attention to the place.

He was more interested in how few the students had become, a change apparent when they began streaming into the Hall. Slytherin and Gryffindor had suffered the most, now consisting of only half of the students there had been the year before. Throughout the whole of last year, black banners had replaced the usual house emblems, because although the students were safe at Hogwarts, the top years had been required to help the rest of the Wizarding World. In many cases, such aid had resulted in death.

The year that had suffered the most was the current seventh year. Only four students were left in Slytherin- Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini - whilst Gryffindor still counted six- Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, Hermione Granger and Lavender Brown. Hufflepuff had four - Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, Ernie Macmillan and Susan Bones - and Ravenclaw also four - Terry Boot, Lisa Turpin, Padma Patil, Morag McDougal. Before, all houses had had at least seven students. The sixth year was only a bit better off. They too had suffered losses, such as Virginia Weasley and Thomas Kyle, but generally they had been luckier, since the Ministry hadn't asked the then fifth years to participate, instead relying solely on volunteers. Not all of the students had been up to this task, and some who had been willing to volunteer hadn't been allowed to do so, due to either their lack of skills or parental permission. 

Still, over the summer holidays many had lost their lives and some had left Great Britain after the final battle took place. None of the students Snape saw looked like they had spent a good holiday, most having lost family members; some siblings, like Malcolm Baddock, Padma Patil and Ronald Weasley, or parents, like Vincent Crabbe and Hannah Abbot. So, instead of celebrations and enthusiastic chatter there were only murmured, hushed conversations.   
This was, in Severus's opinion, still better than the alternative: living under Voldemort's reign.

"Severus?"

Minerva McGonagall, who would have been the bane of his existence if it hadn't been for Longbottom, looked as though she were addressing him for at least the third time. Severus decided he had to pull himself together during the Sorting, after which the announcement would be made, when everyone would have already figured out that there were no new Slytherins this year. 

"Yes, Minerva?" he replied absentmindedly.

"Shall we start the Sorting?"

"Shouldn't you ask Albus this? Last time I checked he was Headmaster here." Severus was annoyed. Every staff member except for Albus seemed to treat him with the uttermost patience and kindness, which was very irritating. Even Minerva, who was almost as sarcastic as he himself was sometimes, was now being abnormally nice to him.

"I take it I can begin, then," she said, seemingly having for at least a second overcome the newfound sensitiveness everyone showed toward him.

"Yes." 

The hall fell silent when the new first years entered the Great Hall, trailing behind Minerva McGonagall. There were very few of them, maybe fifteen, and all of them just as terrified as their predecessors had been.

Although there were so few of them, everything proceeded as it did before. Severus had long ago stopped listening to the Sorting Hat, and since the students wouldn't be sorted into his House this year, he also didn't bother paying attention to where they went. He heard a few names he recognised, like Caroline Bones, sorted into Hufflepuff, and Kevin Corner, a deceased Hufflepuff's brother, joining Ravenclaw. Apart from those two, he was far more interested in watching the students' reactions when they realised that none so far had been sorted into Slytherin. By the time the sixth student had been sorted into Ravenclaw, the Slytherin table began to get restless, except for Thatcher, Longcom and Zabini. 

Blaise Zabini sat apart from her classmates, with the other two former Prefects, and was obviously trying to count the cells of her hands, staring at them as though they were the most interesting sight in the world. Longcom and Thatcher pretended to look as clueless as the rest of the Slytherins, who by now - the tenth student had been sorted - began asking questions. Questions they shouldn't and wouldn't answer. 

Severus was grateful when the sorting ended. It had been very difficult to charm the Hat so it wouldn't put any students into Slytherin, where he was sure some of the new students would have excelled. But this was as things stood, and at the moment, he could do nothing for them.

The Sorting over, Albus Dumbledore stood up. There was no need to quiet the students, they already hushed, curious as to why Slytherin hadn't received any new additions. Severus only thanked any God there was that he wasn't the one that had to explain it to the whole school.

"You are all no doubt hungry and would like to begin the meal, but I think you all want to know why Slytherin House hasn't received any new students this year. As you've all probably already guessed, this is not a coincidence; the Sorting Hat has indeed been charmed not to sort any students into Slytherin.

"It is my sad duty to inform you that the Ministry of Magic and the School Governors have decided that due to the recent events, especially the recent trials against followers of Voldemort, Slytherin House will have to undergo quite a few changes. The most obvious one being that there are no new students in Slytherin House this year, and that it will not compete for either the House Cup or in the Quidditch Cup. No new Prefects were selected for Slytherin, and the former have lost their position. Furthermore, all Hogsmeade visits are cancelled for Slytherins. It is yet to be decided whom among you will be allowed to return home for Christmas.

"I want to make it clear here that this was not a decision the teachers made. At the moment, we are doing our best to reverse the changes. If there are any questions, Professor Snape and I will be glad to help." Albus sat down, and the meal began.

But Severus wasn't hungry, not at all, a sentiment he seemed to share with the rest of his House, who seemed to be frozen in place, too stunned to say a word. These weren't just restrictions; it was being found guilty before even charged. Mumbling an excuse about his lack of appetite, Severus stood and left the table. He could feel the gaze of every student present resting on him.

Contrary to the students' belief, Severus's private quarters were neither cold nor dark. They were in the dungeons, but enchanted so that it was as light in them as it was outside. Since it was now evening, the fireplace to lit the room, and it was already warm. He contemplated just falling into bed, but was interrupted by a head that suddenly appeared in the fireplace. A thin face surrounded by streams of blonde hair that he would recognise anywhere, Narcissa Malfoy.

"Narcissa," Severus briefly greeted her, while taking hold of the bottle of whiskey he kept close to the fireplace. He needed alcohol now, and even Narcissa Malfoy couldn't keep him from getting as drunk as possible. Good thing it was Saturday and there were no classes on Sundays. He took a sip. "To what do I owe the honour?"

"He's dead."

Severus, who had been making his way over to the couch, stopped dead in his tracks.

"Who's dead?"

"Lucius. He committed suicide in his cell."

Lucius Malfoy had been arrested by Aurors weeks ago, and was being kept in a holding cell until they prosecuted him. Apparently, he hadn't wanted to go to Azkaban. Severus didn't feel sorry. They had, after all, fought on different sides.

However, Severus had always been close to Narcissa. She hadn't been a Death Eater and had never shown any inclination join them. Narcissa had been indifferent to Voldemort's ideologies, only providing money - her family was even richer than Lucius's - and the Malfoy heir. She had known that Severus had turned away from Voldemort and his followers, but never said anything. Severus had only found out that she had known all along a few weeks ago.

"Severus." Narcissa's voice was pleading, begging for him to talk with him. Although she had never really loved her husband, and had been betrothed to him, she obviously wasn't taking this very well.

"Yes, I'm still here," he mumbled. Great, now he had another problem on his hand.

"Severus, I need to talk to you. Could you come here, please?"

So much for getting drunk now, Severus thought, this day keeps getting better and better. Narcissa had already been fragile enough, with her beloved son unconscious in St. Mungo's. Now she would probably rely on him to make everything better. Narcissa was a strong person, but lately... everything seemed to be too much for her.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," he replied and ended the conversation before he could think better of it. Narcissa no longer lived in Malfoy Manor, which was being searched by Aurors, but in a small house near St. Mungo's, which she had bought from her own family fortune. She had taken her house from the Floo Network, only allowing conversations but not visitors. He would just have to leave Hogwarts and Apparate directly at her doorstep.

Leaving Hogwarts was quite easy. All the students were still in the Great Hall, finishing their meals. With his broomstick in one hand and a bag containing two bottles of whiskey in the other, Severus was out of Hogwarts in five minutes. He had been a Quidditch player for two years, so flying whilst holding a bag wasn't difficult, so soon after leaving his rooms he stood in front of Narcissa's new house.

It was smaller than Malfoy Manor, but still large enough for everyone to see she had enough money to never have to work. It was certainly more than large enough for Narcissa and maybe Draco if, no, _when_ he recovered. Severus wasn't fond of Draco, but Narcissa loved him, and if Draco had really fought against Voldemort, then he had underestimated the boy's willpower.

"Hello, Severus. Please, come in."

Narcissa had been waiting for him. He had to admit, she was a beautiful woman. Her blond hair framed her face and made it look like it was surrounded by a halo. She was thin, maybe a bit too thin; her plain black trousers fitting perfectly, but her shirt hanging a bit too loosely. 

The only thing that detracted from her beauty were the dark shadows under her eyes. She hadn't been crying, that much he could see. But it was obvious she hadn't been sleeping much since she had received the news that it would take weeks, maybe even months for Draco to awaken, if he ever did.

Shifting his weight a bit to shoulder the broom, Severus went inside. He had been there once before, yet still waited for Narcissa to lead him into the living room. Like everything else in the house, it was decorated in warm tones, mainly dark reds and browns, subtly telling the visitor that, yes, she was indeed wealthy. The couch he sat down on was, of course, made of black leather.

"Do you want something to drink, Severus?" Narcissa was still standing in the middle of the room, nervously fidgeting with her hands, although her face voice betrayed none of her emotions. She, like Severus and Lucius, had mastered the fine art of keeping her voice calm in every situation, but never learned to master her body language. Severus had teased her about it more than once when they had been at school together.

"I've brought us something a bit more... alcoholic than what you probably have in mind," he replied, taking the bottles out of his bag. A small smile showed on her face, for a moment making her seem ten years younger.

"I see we'll probably get drunk tonight, then?"

"That was my plan anyway, and I won't let Lucius spoil it." The mention of Lucius made her smile vanish, but she didn't flinch. 

Well, what had he expected? Her husband had just committed suicide, and even if she had probably wished him dead a dozen times - especially during the past few weeks - she had been living with him for the last twenty years of her life and was used to his presence.

"So you were planning on getting drunk anyway. I guess it's because of the new 'rules', isn't it?" Narcissa finally decided to seat herself, taking the place next to Severus. He could smell her now; she smelled of vanilla, an odour he had always associated with her. Narcissa immediately picked up one of the bottles and took a sip without bothering with a glass. 

"When did you hear about them?" 

"I was at the Ministry today."

Severus didn't bother replying. By tomorrow morning every witch and wizard in Britain would have heard the news. There was no doubt that at least half of them would more than agree with the Ministry. Sometimes he despised being a Slytherin.

After a minute spent in silence, Severus couldn't help but ask. "How did Lucius manage to kill himself?"

"Bit open his wrists, bled to death. Fitting, if you ask me." There it was again, that indifferent tone of voice he was used to hearing from her. 

"Fitting? A fitting death for Lucius would have been to fall down the stairs on the way to Azkaban and break his neck." Severus was already feeling the effects of alcohol in his veins, welcoming it like a long-lost friend. His hands clutched the bottle like it was his last hope. 

"We shouldn't be speaking about the dead like this," she replied, a smirk betraying her words. Severus quickly looked away. She was beautiful, there was no doubt; plus, the alcohol was kicking in, which was really not a good mix. It had been a mistake to come here.

"No, certainly not."   
Again, silence filled the room. Narcissa took her wand and summoned a pack of cigarettes, as well as a golden lighter, which she effortlessly tried to flick open.

"Severus, could you...?"

"You really should stop this," Severus replied, but still helped her light the cigarette. Narcissa took a deep breath and seemed to calm down a little, her fingers now occupied.

"I know." She didn't sound like she meant it and took a sip of the Whiskey again. 

"You don't," he smirked, knowing that he had hit a nerve. She wouldn't and probably couldn't quit.

"Then why do you even ask?" she replied, annoyed. Alcohol made her touchy, which was why she usually didn't drink anything and thus couldn't hold her liquor. 

Whilst Severus could hold it all so well. 

Well, or maybe not, he thought.

Narcissa had finished her cigarette when Severus noticed she looked tired, and that she had in fact looked tired the entire evening. Lucius's death, added to her worry over Draco's current state, was getting to her more than she let on; she was on the edge,.

Severus cursed inwardly. One more problem on his seemingly never-ending list of things to take care of.

"I guess the alcohol is beginning to work, isn't it?" Narcissa asked, finally letting go of her bottle. It wasn't empty, but she seemed to have drunk quite enough.

"It is," Severus replied matter-of-factly. 

"I should head to bed then; you've got other things to attend to. I'm sorry I'm such a mess."

"You are not," Severus defended her.

As a reply, Narcissa only smiled sadly at him. 

"I am. Look at me, Severus. My child is in the hospital, to probably never wake up again. And what am I doing here? Getting drunk because my stupid excuse for a husband decided to kill himself instead of facing the consequences of is actions, or caring for his child. A great mother I make." 

Narcissa stood up, starting to pace around the room, a bit insecure because of the alcohol.. The sadness left her face replaced by anger. 

"You are a great mother, Narcissa. You just need some time for yourself, to gather some strength."

"Gather some strength? Damn you Severus, I don't need strength. Draco does. Even the best doctors can't help him. Look where all this damn money and being oh so 'pure' has bought me. I can't even save my own son! He's lying in that damn hospital, not really living, but also not dead."

"Narcissa, stop beating yourself up about this, it won't help. There's nothing you can do right now." Severus had by now also stood up, to walk over to her, and try to calm her down. Narcissa, however just shoved him away.

Severus looked at her. He had never seen her behave this way before. She had always been calm and controlled, not letting any emotions surface. Now she was like another person. 

"Great. I'm not only useless to my only child at the moment, I can't even control myself any more."

"What you are feeling is grief, Narcissa. That's a perfectly normal reaction to what you've just experienced. Draco's coma, Lucius's death..."

"Oh, and how do you, Professor Snape, suggest that I deal with it? Get even more inebriated? Shoot myself? Have sex with you?" Narcissa was back to her sarcastic self. 

"Actually, that possibility is far too underrated. Touch is a natural human way of providing comfort, but it's hedged around by bourgeois values."

"Sure, Severus, bourgeois values. Did this manner of getting a woman into bed ever succeed?" Her pacing had now stopped entirely, and she stood right in front of Severus.

"I never tried it before," Severus admitted with a smirk. He spoke the truth; he really had never talked a woman into sleeping with him. During the past years that hadn't even been a possibility, as every woman he met was instantly repulsed by his appearance. He had changed a bit during the last month, but his hair was still rather greasy and his teeth not the brilliant shade of white Narcissa's were.

"Good thing. Wouldn't have worked anyway." Her sarcasm could be biting if she wanted it to be. After all, knowing Lucius and Severus, she had learnt from the best.

"Narcissa, I don't want to 'get you into bed'. I want to _help_ you."

"You can help me by finding something for me to hit. Because I want to hit something. Hard," she responded, relaxing a bit and beginning to diffuse her anger.

"Then hit me - I can take it. I've always wanted to do something philanthropic." With that, Severus bent down and kissed her. It was not until he felt her lips on his that he realised what he was doing. Them she responded, and he thought if that was what it would take to make her stop beating herself up for just one evening, he would be there.

The kiss was tender at first, but soon got deeper, as she encircled him with her arms, drawing him to her. His right hand went up to her face, gently touching it, while his left hand began to stroke her back. Somehow, his actions felt right, even though the situation was so wrong. 

Their tongues met and he felt like he was on fire. In a corner of his mind, a small voice told him that this was probably an effect of the whiskey, but he didn't listen to it. This was just too good to stop.

Narcissa's fingers began fumbling with the buttons of his robes and so he had to back away a bit. Their kiss broke and Severus looked at Narcissa. Her face was flushed, especially her lips, but there was nothing in her expression that spoke of regret.

"Bedroom," was the only thing she said after she had caught her breath from the extended kiss. All Severus could do was nod in agreement and stand up, one hand still on her back.

It was, in Severus's opinion, a very good thing that the bedroom was also on the ground floor, and thus no stairs were to be climbed. Clinging to each other as if they were each other's lifeline, they entered the bedroom. Narcissa kicked the door shut and in the same movement somehow managed to get rid of her shoes, which caused Severus to have to bend down in order to kiss her. 

Moving his hand to her upper back, Severus slid a hand under her shirt, gently stroking the bare flesh. They undressed each other, not restraining themselves, as lust took over what passion had started.

The only sound in the bedroom that could be heard in the next moments was the rustling of clothes. Then a dull thud when Severus and Narcissa practically fell onto the covers. By this time, every thought about the consequences of what they were doing had vanished, replaced by pure desire.

Their mouths met once again, fingers met skin, and Narcissa moaned with pleasure. Nearly burning with desire, Severus entered her with one stroke, causing her to moan even louder.

Two bodies melted into one, in the old game that they both knew all too well. They moved in rhythm, staring into each other's eyes, but not really seeing each other. It was mindless sex, something they had both done too often, but that served its purpose. When they finally came, both were panting and drenched in sweat, too exhausted to do anything but to roll over and fall asleep next to each other. 

_To be continued..._


End file.
